Many goods need to be stored and transported within controlled environments to preserve the value of those goods. For example, many food products need to be kept within particular temperature and/or humidity ranges during storage and transport in order to prevent decay and maintain freshness. However, the freshness of food is not readily determinable or precisely determinable during storage or transport. Unfresh or decayed food may be discovered only upon use. Because it is difficult to evaluate the condition of food and other goods during storage and transport, if deteriorated goods are discovered it may be difficult to determine when or how such goods deteriorated. For example, in the case of deteriorated shipped goods, it may not be possible to determine if the goods were packed in a deteriorated condition, if they deteriorated during storage and prior to shipping, if they deteriorated at some point during shipping or if they deteriorated after delivery to their destination.
Often times shipping companies receive the blame for deteriorated goods regardless of fault. Some customers prefer to know environmental conditions of their goods during storage and transport to ensure that goods arrive in the same condition in which the goods were shipped. Additionally, knowledge of a storage temperature history allows a customer to either extend or reduce a product's permitted shelf life. For these and other reasons, some shipping companies use systems that document controlled environments of storage and/or shipping containers used while goods are in possession of the shipping company. This way, a shipping company can not only confirm or refute accusations regarding deteriorated goods, but can also provide increased value to customers by demonstrating proper storage of goods within specified environmental conditions.